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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Schokland is a former island in the Dutch Zuiderzee.
The island was an attractive settlement area in the Middle Ages, but by
the 19th century it was under continuous threat of flooding due to the rise in
sea level. A major flood in 1825 brought
massive destruction, and in 1859 the government decided to end permanent
settlement on Schokland.

Schokland and surroundings is a UNESCO World Heritage
site since 1995.

Stamp

Classic cars from the Louwman museum: Spyker. The
Louwman Museum in The Hague exhibits one of the oldest private collections in
the world.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon are a small group of islands
in the North Atlantic Ocean, near Canada’s Newfoundland. The archipelago is a
self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France. The
only place you can see Canada from France!

The islands have quit a turbulent history, ending up
in deportation of the inhabitants in 1794, leaving the islands deserted until
1816. In 2016 SP&M celebrates the returning of inhabitants to the islands
200 years ago. Today
the islands of SP&M have about 6,500 inhabitants.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Berat is a town located in south-central Albania.
Together with city of Gjirokastra inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Both
rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period.

Stamp

The 190th Anniversary of the First Locomotive. Part of
a set of four stamps, issued 2015.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

The Hanseatic League, also called Hanse was founded by north German towns and German merchant communities abroad to protect their mutual trading interests. The league dominated commercial activity in northern Europe from the 13th to the 15th century.

Together with Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg, Cologne was one of the most important cities in the league.

Stamp

200 Years of The Card Game “Skat”

Skat originated in the German town of Altenburg. Its existence was first recorded 200 years ago, and it is Germany’s most popular card game.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Ulaanbaatar is the capital and, with 1.3
million inhabitants, the largest city of Mongolia. The city is home to 40%
of the country’s population. No bigger contrast possible between the city
dwellers and the (semi) nomadic life of the other 60%.

Stamp

Yurts have existed for thousands of years in Central
Asia, in virtually the same form as they exist today. They are ideal dwellings
for the nomadic cultures of the Central Asian steppe.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Macquarie Island is located halfway between New
Zealand and Antarctica. The island is a long, thin strip, 34km long and about
5km wide. One of the few points of land in that part of the planet where native
birds and other wildlife can breed.

Since humans visited the island in the early 1800’s,
the island got infested by all kind of rabbits and rodents. Introducing cats to
the island wasn’t a good idea when the growing cat population became a problem
itself. In the early 1980s myxomatosis was introduced and it helped for a
while.

In 2007 a new approach was launched. It involved
killing most of the rabbits with baits dropped from helicopters, then bringing
in detection dogs to eliminate any survivors. On 8 April 2014 Macquarie Island
was officially declared pest-free after seven years of conservation efforts.

Stamp

The vital role played by dogs in eradicating rabbits
and rodents from Macquarie Island has been commemorated in a special stamp
series.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island,
after Tasmania and Melville Island. The island is located about
13km off the coast near Adelaide. It is known for its spectacular landscapes
and amazing diversity of wildlife. So you will find not only kangaroos.

Remarkable rocks are one of the signature landmarks on
the island. It took millions of years for rain, wind, and pounding waves to
create these granite boulders which are now part of the Flinders Chase National
Park.

Located on Kangaroo Island, Seal Bay has been home to
an Australian sea lion population for thousands of years.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Eldred Rock Lighthouse is the oldest original
lighthouse in Alaska. First lit on June 1, 1906 and one of the remotest
lighthouses in North America, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse was built after some disastrous
shipwrecks. Especially during the 1898 Klondike
Gold Rush, when the Lynn Canal was full of steamships bringing miners to the
Yukon.

Stamp

75th anniversary forever stamp. For 75 years, Batman has protected Gotham City
from the forces of evil. Since his debut, he has become one of the most iconic
super heroes in history.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Poda Island (Koh Poda) is a small limestone island with beautiful white coral sand beaches and crystal clear water. The circular island is no more than a kilometer in diameter, covered in palm trees and almost entirely encircled by a soft white sand beach. Koh Poda is the largest of all the four islets in Poda Group Islands.

StampThe stamp is part of a set of 10 definitives ‘Seaside in Thailand’. This stamp depicts Hong Island.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Maiga Island is one the eight islands of the Semporna
Islands Park. The park is the largest Marine Park, covering 340 sq kilometers
of sea and corals reef and 10 sq kilometers of land. It comprises eight
islands: Bohey Dulang, Bodgaya, Sebangkat, Selakan, Mantabuan, Sibuan and Maiga. The first two are the remains of an
old volcano.

Maiga Island is inhabited by a small population of Sea
Bajau who live in wooden houses built on stilts in the sea.

Stamp

Part of a set of six stamps about horse-riding: Unit
Berkuda PSP PDRM. The mounted police unit of Malaysia. Here you see two
more stamps from this series: #1#2

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Koszalin is
a city in the north of Poland, located near the Baltic Sea. Dating
back to the 12th century, the city has a rich history. Koszalin was a member of
the Hanseatic League.

The
Hanseatic League was a late-medieval network of economically largely
independent long-distance trade merchants which was based on trust, reputation
and reciprocal relations. With 180 member cities, the Hanseatic League was
a powerful trading confederation for 300 years.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Kaliningrad is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania. Before WWII Kaliningrad was the East Prussian city of Königsberg. After World War II Königsberg was placed under Soviet administration and renamed Kaliningrad.

During World War II the city of Königsberg was largely destroyed by a British bombing attack and the Soviet offensive. Here you see a picture from the same point of view as on the postcard.

Königsberg joined the Hanseatic League in 1340 and developed into an important port for the south-eastern Baltic region.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Doesburg is a small city in the eastern part of
The Netherlands, situated on the right bank of the river IJssel. Doesburg
was granted city rights in 1237. Even today the medieval street-pattern is
still completely intact.

The city center has 150 listed monuments, reflecting
Doesburg’s rich history. One of these monuments is t Huys Optenoord. Doesburg is one of the seven Dutch ‘Hanzesteden’
(Hanseatic Towns) situated along the river ‘IJssel’.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The city
is located in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. It is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus
Copernicus. The old town of Toruń is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 1280 the city joined the Hanseatic League, a
commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their
market towns.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Tarsiers are primates (a group including lemurs,
monkeys, apes and humans) found only in the islands of Southeast Asia.

The Philippine Tarsier can be found in the
southeastern part of the archipelago, particularly on the islands of Bohol.
It measures only about 85 to 160 mm (3.35 to 6.30 inches) in height,
making it one of the smallest primates.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Common Brushtail Possums live in urban areas, forests
and woodlands all over Australia. These possums were introduced to New Zealand
in the 1830s but are considered a pest there. While in Australia it is a
protected species.

Stamp

This stamp commemorates the founding of the first
"official" settlement in Victoria at Portland by the Henty family, on
the 19 November, 1834. The stamp shows the Leadbeater's Possum, only to be found
in Victoria. (issue 1984)

Sunday, March 6, 2016

PostcardTkon is
a typical fishing village and port, located on the island of Pašman, off
the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. Pašman is surrounded
by the islands Ugljan, Iž, Dugi otok and Kornati. It is the
12th island in Croatian archipelago by land area.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Pangani
River is located in northeastern Tanzania. Ngalawas are sailingboats
(actually canoes) with a double outrigger for stability and a triangular sail. Used
for short distance transport of goods or people or serving as a fishing boat.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Theth is a community in northern Albania, located
at the centre of the Theth National Park. Surrounded by the Albanian Alps the
area has wonderful landscapes with waterfalls, caves and canyons.

Stamp

The stamps on the left is part of a series of 4 stamps
titled Cultural Heritage Day.

September 29 marks the National Day of Cultural
Heritage in Albania. The day to commemorate restorers, architects, researchers,
and scientists, folklore handlers and handicraftsmen, who have contributed in
shaping and studying Albanian heritage.

The stamp on the right is part of a set of four stamps
about antique silver, issued 2011.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

PostcardLuanda is the capital and largest city in Angola
with about 6 million inhabitants. The city is the world's most expensive city
for expatriates because of the high cost of rent, imported goods and security.

Stamp

This is actually a prepaid postcard. Maianga is
one of the six municipalities of the administrative division of the province of
Luanda.